The Young, Tough Times
by carling
Summary: Kirsten and Sandy, early Kandy. Chap. 7 Meet the 'tobe' Newpsies!
1. He was her rock, her everything

**_Hey everyone! This is my first fanfic so it's a bit rough. Please review once you've read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Enjoy!_**

**He was her rock, her everything.**

She stumbled out of the room before the wall of tears flooded down her face. Her mascara smudged, she ran away from his dorm as the rain mingled with the tears streaming down her face and she took sanctuary in a bus stop, the closest seat sheltered from the driving rain. As she came to terms with what had just happened, she began to weep uncontrollably and her inconsolable sobs were visible as Sandy looked on, a tear escaping his eye as he witnessed Kirsten break down.

* * *

She sat there for what seemed an eternity for Sandy, an endless supply of tears falling down her face. His mind played over the previous events of that night, a piercing feeling through his heart. He had hurt her; he never had imagined that this night would end like this. But she had hurt him as well and he couldn't forget those insulting words that flowed from her mouth. 

"_You don't understand, you never will! You're not like me, we are from different worlds. How can you possibly think you know what I mean?" Kirsten screamed before running out the open door into the pouring rain._

She had cried her heart out, literally. She had no more tears to shed but she knew once she reached her apartment it would hit her again. The situation was Sandy was even murkier than ever and she felt a rush in her stomach as she thought that. She got up from the bus stop and ran the rest of the way back to her dorm through the rain. When she arrived, as predicted, the tears streamed down her face once again. She lay on her bed, reliving the hurtful words he had said to her; how much he didn't know about her. She grabbed a pillow and clenched onto for her life as she sobbed herself to sleep; the continuous rain outside depicting her emotional state.

* * *

"_I want to know what you mean..." Sandy whispered as she fled from him. "Tell me what you mean... please Kirsten" He hoped that she had heard his hidden apology, but knew very well that she was just focused on getting as far away from him as possible._

He stood there, staring at the empty seat left by Kirsten in the bus stop across the road from his dorm. Thank goodness Peter, who he shared his dorm with, was out tonight, he was not in a state to be social. He fell on his bed, fatigued from the emotional energy that had been used up in the last hour. As he drifted off to sleep he could hear the rhythmic pattering of the rain on the window. 'Reflects my emotional state right now' he though to himself.

**_Please review!_**


	2. He wasn't there that morning

**_Hey again, I posted another chapter just to keep you all in suspense a bit more. I promise in the next chapter I will reveal what has happened. In the mean time, I hope this will satisfy you enough to keep on reading and reviewing. Enjoy!_**

**He wasn't there that morning**

Kirsten rolled over out of habit and found herself alone in her bed. The coldness of the empty side made her click that everything was real, Sandy wasn't here. She got out of bed and strolled over to her bathroom and as she stared into the mirror, an unidentifiable face stared back at her; her mascara was smudged, hair matted and lipstick non-existent. She wandered over to her phone perched on the table as the flashing light indicated 4 new messages. She pressed the button as they began to play.

BEEP Hi Kiki, it's Dad here. Please call us we need to sort this out. BEEP

BEEP Kirsten, it's me, Sandy. Call me, please. Don't ignore me. BEEP

BEEP Kirsten, it's me again. I need to you call me. Please call me. BEEP

BEEP Hey Kiks, it's Hailey! Dad is really stressed out and I think he wants you to call them. Guess what? I'm graduating from pre-school tomorrow! I miss you. Bye bye. BEEP

Once again, the emotions hit her as she stumbled back into a chair and let a small tear escape down her face. She was just a child inside, small and vulnerable, and each time she thought of the happenings of last night, her heart broke just that little bit more. She knew that Sandy was her rock, her everything and right now that was what she needed, but he didn't know what this was like. He had no clue whatsoever. Or at least that was what she thought.

* * *

The ringing of her phone, awoke her from her daydreaming and she glanced at the screen. SANDY it read and she reached over and hesitantly picked it up; it wasn't going to fix itself.

"Hello" She whispered, her voice shy and childlike.

"Kirsten, are you okay? I'm so sorry I hurt you. I never meant to sound condescending." He replied, afraid of the meekness of her voice when she answered.

"I… I'm… I'm so sorry Sandy. What I said before… I didn't mean it… I don't mean it"

"Honey, I understand. You are hurt. What you said is true, we **are **from two different worlds but I want to make this work. I want to be there for you, to help you."

Kirsten's silence on the other end worried Sandy and he realised much more than a phone call was going to fix this.

"Kirsten, I've got to go but I'll call you soon. Baby, are you sure you're fine?"

"I will be, just give me time."

He sighed as he put the phone down. _Time,_ just what he was afraid of.

**_Sorry it's another short chapter but I'm just getting started so bear with me for awhile. Please review!_**


	3. He just needed to be there

**_Here's the final installment for tonight. It's a bit longer than the others but it's still not overly long sorry! Hope this is better than the others though!_**

**He just needed to be there**

Sandy Cohen was on a mission, a mission to get his girlfriend back. 'Back' he thought. Since when didn't he have her? It's not like they ever broke up, so why is he trying so hard to get her 'back'? He chuckled as the voices inside his head contemplated this. You can't get something back if you haven't had it taken away from you. But Kirsten had left clearly upset last night and by the way she had sobbed and shook uncontrollably in the run-down bus stop, she felt like she had lost something.

He ran into the gift shop he passed everyday on the way to Kirsten's dorm and purchased a golden teddy bear holding a heart, just like Sandy held his heart on his sleeve when he was around Kirsten. He loved her so much, but he had never actually said "I love you" to her yet. He was waiting for the perfect moment, when he knew that they would remember it forever and cherish. He knew that she was the perfect woman for him. At first, he was attracted to her because of her classy beauty but once he got to know the reach Kirsten Nichol, he fell in love with her even more. He knew that she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, the one he wanted to have children with, the one he wanted to grow old with. He just needed to make sure that Kirsten knew that, and knew that he wasn't going anywhere, no argument or fight could change that.

KNOCK, KNOCK

An alarmed Kirsten cautiously walked towards the door, afraid to face the world. She peered through the peep hole and saw Sandy in not much better condition than she was. She never realised how much of a toll it had taken on him as well as her. 'He definitely is a keeper' she thought as she remembered her grandma saying the first time she met Sandy, the last time she saw Kirsten.

KNOCK, KNOCK

The second set of knocking extracted Kirsten from her thoughts and she slowly, carefully opened the door, scared of who and what she was letting in. Sandy just stood there, staring at her in awe. This was the girl who was always perfectly done up. She stood before him, in the worst condition she had been in since that horrible time in Aspen when she blew all the fuses with her hairdryer and she had to go without a blow-dry for a week. She no longer looked like the compose, perfect Kirsten Nichol everyone knew her to be, she looked like the person hiding deep down inside her that only Sandy knew about. She had taken away the protective shell she had learnt to put up from her father and there she was standing in front of him, vulnerable and even more amazing to Sandy.

Both, aware of the fact that the previous night was their first major argument, acted careful around each other, observing the other's reaction. Sandy extended his arm out holding the golden teddy bear and gave it to Kirsten.

"I'm so sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am, but I want you to know, I'm not going to give up on you. I'm not going to leave you and I'm certainly not going to let the fact that we are so different, affect out relationship. Because what we have is special and I don't want anything to come between us. I just hope you feel the same way… I love you, Kirsten Nichol. And I hope that you know that because I would never want to hurt you. I love you."

He closed the gap between him just in time before she collapsed on him as her knees gave way. He swept her off her feet with that speech in more ways than one, and she knew for certain that he was the one for her. He was the one that got her, the one that knew what she was thinking, the one that knew how she was feeling. The one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

"Oh Sandy… I love you too. I love you more than words can comprehe…"

Her words were cut short as he leant and softly kissed her, reaffirming his love for her. She smiled at him, her 'Sandy' smile, and their lips met again, this time more passionate. They hugged each other tight, sorry for hurting their significant other. Sandy was the first to break away, but the childlike Kirsten still clung on for dear life, relenting to let go, afraid that they might begin another argument.

"I can't believe it. My mother's an alcoholic." The words stung the air as the reality came true once it was said aloud. Her bottom lip trembled, as she realised she had to leave Berkeley, leave Sandy, leave her life.

"Well, what are you going to do? Are you going to stay here? Are you going to move? Then what lease are you going to look for; month to month? Week to week? Are you going to commute? Then what freeway is your choice of freeway?"

"SANDY!" Kirsten exclaimed, a hint of humour in her voice. "I… I've… I've got to go back. I can't let her cause more damage to herself than she already has done. But I don't want to leave you, the man I love." Her voice broke at the end, tears threatening to run down her face.

"Well you can't seriously just leave. What about what we have? Doesn't it mean anything to you? I love you Kirsten, I LOVE YOU! What more do you want? Will I ever be enough for you?"

Once again, the tears began to stream down her face, quickly turning into heavy sobs and inconsolable shaking. "She's my mother Sandy, my mother. I have to go, I don't have a choice. I don't want to go but she needs me. You know you would do the same." She whispered in between sobs and she tried to regain her composure but failed.

Sandy, feeling guilty for causing the uncontrollable tears, reached towards her and pulled her into an embrace. Struggling at first, Kirsten resisted and tried to get out, wanting to be alone right now so she could pack and leave without the emotional goodbyes but she eventually she gave up and let Sandy comfort her.

"Sshh… Don't worry, everything will end up okay. We'll work something out. I don't want to leave you but I will let you go if you must. Just remember, I will always be here waiting. Remember this Kirsten Nichol, I, Sandy Cohen, love you. Remember that"

With that, she collapsed completely, overridden with emotions, and Sandy carried her and laid her on her bed. Though her heavy sobs, she whispered "I don't want to go, I have to go" and they slowly kissed a goodbye kiss to what might have been if the circumstances were different.

**_You know the deal, read and review please! Ciao!_**


	4. He was her brick wall

**_Hey, here is another chapter. A big thank you to all the reviews, they made me feel so good! It's a little bit longer but still not that long, I've only just realised how much you have to write! This may be a little confusing but it's still full of emotions. It's nearly just about Kirsten with a little bit of Sandy. Enjoy!_**

**He was her brick wall**

Kirsten had packed her life into her 2 suitcases and as she gave one last glance at her dorm, she swiftly lifted them up and closed the door behind her. The memories she was leaving behind rushed through her mind, a continuous video replaying the happy, sad, emotional, passionate and amazing moments that had occurred in the dorm behind her. As she walked towards the yellow taxi, awaiting her, she said goodbye to all the possibilities she was walking away from. A voice in her head said _"You could have had Sandy. He loved you. Did you love him?"_ but she knew the answer all too well. Before she had time to back away from her decision, she placed her luggage in the boot and clambered into the back seat, the crisp air-conditioning cooling down her already red face.

"The Airport, please." She almost whispered to the driver, unable to comprehend what she was actually doing.

* * *

She had come to Berkeley to escape the fakeness of Newport, to go out into the real world and find herself. While Newport had always been comfortable, she never felt real. Days would pass by and the same things would happen day after day. The gossip mill keeping everyone up to date with the latest on who had gone under the knife and whose marriage was on the rocks. Harbour school, one of the top high schools in the country, was a constant dog and pony show where fashion was scrutinised and your social status was worth more than you intelligence. Her family was the epitome of Newport, wealthy, beautiful and perfect in every way. Why she chose Berkeley, only Kirsten would ever know, but it was well known that the lead debutante and model student and daughter had her pick of the Ivy League's. She had left without an understandable explanation and had baffled her parents and peers. 

When she had arrived in Berkeley she had the biggest shock of her life. People were living off their last $5 with no trust fund to run to if it fell down a drain, people were walking around in _gasp_ **culottes** (?) and the most shocking, people were actually being themselves. If living in such a backstabbing community had taught Kirsten anything, it was to guard yourself and because of this she had constructed a brick wall which no one could pass. It had succeeded in getting her through her first 22 years of her life but behind that wall was a young child who wished she could show the world her true self. But that was not possible in Newport, those who actually were themselves were destined to be brought down, they would never survive. For Kirsten though, just a change of scenery was not enough to let her bring down that brick wall. In the past year before leaving, her solid boyfriend of 5 years, James Cooper, had cheated on her and gotten the girl pregnant. And, of course being the perfect spoiled Newport brat, he had done the _right_ thing and proposed to her. Her life was unravelling fast right before her eyes and so she had left. She had done the most cowardly thing and run away from her problems. For once, she didn't want to be the responsible, sensible Kirsten Nichol. She didn't want to be the perfect, social chair Kirsten Nichol. She just wanted to be herself. But before she could, she had to find herself.

When she first arrived in Berkeley Kirsten realised how much she had been separated from the real world. She had been brought up in a community where money and status were the most important things in life, happiness and love were added bonuses if you found them. She found herself wanting to be different, wanting to break away from this tag that had become accustomed to her name; Kirsten Nichol perfect Newport princess. She enrolled in classes her parents definitely wouldn't approve of like art history and architecture. She found a dorm to share with her friend on campus and with the money she had earned waitressing she had bought herself a new, relaxed wardrobe to help her fit in. But even with the same clothes, living conditions, money and housing, Kirsten Nichol was still a perfect Newport princess. The way she carried herself and presented herself in her refined manner kept the true Kirsten hidden. That was what attracted Sandy to her.

* * *

Sandy Cohen was a law student. On a scholarship he had travelled across from the Bronx leaving his mother with his younger siblings and setting off into a new life. He had never had feelings for anyone since Rebecca Bloom, the love of his life, had burned down a nuclear plant and fled without a goodbye. He himself had put up a brick wall, to hide the hurt he felt from the absence. He wanted closure, some way to know whether in the long run things really would have worked out or their fiery relationship would have fizzled out.

* * *

They both recognised each other's walls. They both knew that they had ones of their own. They both wanted to bring them down.

Once they had begun dating, Kirsten had finally found someone who she could expose her real self to and Sandy had finally found someone who he could talk to. They were polar opposites and that is what brought them closer together. While their interests were different and their upbringing completely, they found common land on determination to succeed and prove wrong. Kirsten wanted to prove her parents wrong and Sandy wanted to prove his parents wrong. Together they helped each other demolish their brick walls and expose their real personalities. She felt that she could be herself around him, she felt so safe with him that she could do anything. He felt that she was kidding herself staying with him. He had nothing to offer him apart from his love, and he knew that wealthy girls from rich white beaches expected a lot more than love. What Sandy didn't realise was that Kirsten was far from any normal rich girl. She was much more complex, much more real, and she was in love with him as well. But nothing can stay perfect for ever.

* * *

"Excuse me miss, we are here. Have a good flight." The driver said, gently awakening her from her daydreams. Her eyes glistened with the prospect of tears but she regained her composure and blinked them away, _'not in public'_ she thought to herself. '_Save that for when you're alone'_. She boarded her Dad's private jet he had sent for her and sooner than expected she touched down and was driven up into the familiar driveway she had driven up so many times before. She bustled through the door, her appearance far from what it was a year ago when she left, and ran towards her father, embracing him before collapsing in his arms. 

"I love you Dad. I've missed you so much. Where is Mom?"

"I love you too Kiki, you know that. She's right upstairs lying in bed. Watch out okay? Just tread carefully."

But Kirsten was already bounding up the stairs, eager to see her mother, the woman she had missed so much. She opened the door to see a frail version of the lady who was usually so full of life. Lying on the bed, her head propped up against a pillow, she seemed so much older and weathered then Kirsten had left her a year ago. Falling into her mother's arms, she finally let the build up of tears escape her eyes and the communication between the two were beyond words. While the brick wall had been taken away by Sandy, she had left him and was left as a small vulnerable child. Her mother began to weep as their tears mingled as one as they comforted each other, without speaking, but saying so much.

_**Okay, you know the deal. Please read and review. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated!**_


	5. He needed her too

_**Hey everyone thanks for the reviews. It's a mega rainy day so I've spent this morning in bed writing this for you. Enjoy!**_

**He needed her too**

Time had stopped when they had said goodbye. The clock kept on ticking by, but they were stuck in the moment and they couldn't move on. A week had passed and no progress had been made. Kirsten was still on the verge of tears and could breakdown at any moment but she was there for her mother, the lady who needed her help the most. Sandy had withdrawn himself from everyone and hadn't left his room since she left, wallowing in self pity to what could have been.

* * *

She had always been driven by her emotions, sometimes, to the point where they got in the way. At times she had driven Sandy away with them, her anger, her hurt, but he had always come back. This time though, they had been separated for good. Now, she was overridden with emotions, emotions for Sandy. She had lost him. She had lost him. She had lost him. How could that happen? He was the best thing that had happened to her. He had enabled her to find herself. He was the love of her life. While she had doubted her position with him; there was still Rebecca Bloom, the anti-Kirsten, but he had constantly reminded her that he loved her more words, more than Rebecca. Still, they never had closure, unlike her and Jimmy. 

At first they had tried to keep in touch. She had rung him the day after she had arrived home and he had rung her two days after that but both phone calls had ended with uncontrollable sobs on both ends of the lines. Why they were doing this they both didn't really know.

* * *

For Sandy, the past seven days had been a blur of sleeping and eating. Luckily, he had graduated two weeks ago so he wasn't missing any classes. Then, it hit him. Why was he still in Berkeley? He reached for today's newspaper and went into the housing section. He found it, the answer to his loneliness; a Newport apartment in the numbered streets. The rent was expensive but it was going to be worth it, he was going to see Kirsten, he couldn't take their separation any longer.

* * *

"_Don't say you know what I'm feeling when you don't! I can't just forget that I have a life back in Newport, they are my parents. They will always be my parents!" Kirsten screamed at Sandy, taking her rage out on him, the only person she knew wouldn't leave her._

"_And what about us? Do you just think that I will always be here waiting for you? That time would just stop and sometime later you can return to me and everything will just continue on. I'm sick of standing here and letting you use me to get back at your parents. Letting you use me to make yourself normal, to keep your feet on the ground. You're just a spoiled Newport brat!" He yelled back. His hands shaking as he drove away the best thing that had ever happened to him. _

_Her eyes glistened with the prospect of tears and she ran from him. Ran away from her rock and towards shelter where she could let them flow without others seeing her. She ran away from the one who she needed, he needed her too._

* * *

Kirsten had spent the last week catching up with her mother and helping her battle her addiction to alcohol. It hurt her to see how troubled her mother was and she hated her father even more for him to cause her to do this to herself. She had told her everything in her life including Sandy, which explained the reason for her constant tears. Her mother felt guilty for making her leave him but she knew Kirsten would come to her senses soon, or else she would have to do something. Kirsten was going through the mail when she picked up a letter addressed to her. Curious as to what was inside, she opened it to find the familiar scrawl of Sandy's writing on a golden piece of paper reading:

Feed me with you words; feed me with your voice

Sure seems the same

We're growing, always guessing

We're clever but we're clueless

Sinking feelings

I'm so in love with you, it just keeps getting better

You surround me; touch every place in my heart

When you're too in love to let it go

And now I'm going to make it right

* * *

She smiled slightly before completely breaking down and collapsing in the chair behind her. Grasping it to her heart, she could hear Sandy's voice reading it aloud to her, raising more questions than answers. She sat there until the last tear had dried and went upstairs to put it away and keep it safe from her family. On the way upstairs there was a knock on the door and she went to open it. To her surprise, there was Sandy standing before her and she pulled him close and hung on to him for dear life before a single word was uttered. 

He could see she was holding his letter. Of course she wouldn't have figured out what the message meant, it was pretty cryptic, but the fact that her eyes were red and puffy showed him that it meant something to her. Holding onto her with everything, he stroked her hair and comforted her like he had done so many times before when life had troubled her. Just being there and holding onto her made him feel so much better, much more whole.

* * *

After standing there for ten minutes just clinging onto one another, they were rudely interrupted by Caleb. 

"Kiki what on earth are you doing? Who the hell is he?" He yelled at his daughter.

She turned to face him, her eyes extremely red and puffy with tears streaming down her cheeks, and he realised that she loved him, that nothing he did could change that. He left them in peace and Kirsten towed him into her bedroom. She shut the door and locked it and sat down with him on her bed.

* * *

"Sandy, what are you doing here?" She whispered, barely able to hear her own voice. 

"I came here for you. I've got an apartment in the numbered streets. I can't live without you, I need you, I love you."

With that leaned forwards and kissed him softly while murmuring "I…love…you…too" They sat there for ages, basking in each others company and relishing in the moment.

"What are you going to do?" She asked, afraid of the answer, she didn't want to lose him all over again.

"I'm going to stay here with my beautiful girlfriend and help her get through this and then we can figure the rest out. All I know is that I'm not going to leave you and I'm certainly not going to let you go through this by yourself. You have allowed me to be myself, to expose myself to the world and I want to help you do the same. I know you did in Berkeley but back here everything is different. But that's not going to change anything, I'm staying and there's no way you are ever going to get rid of me!" He smiled at the end, the first real one since before Kirsten had left him.

With that, she fell down on the bed and snuggled up to him not wanting this moment to end. A few minutes later, she was fast asleep but still holding on tightly to Sandy as a young baby holds onto its mother. Soon enough his eyes drooped and he himself fell asleep nestled up to the love of his life, neither one of them prepared to let go.

_**Please read and review. Suggestions are greatly appreciated!**_


	6. His two loves Kirsten and strawberries

**_Once again thanks for the reviews, I'm sorry this has taken a while longer to get up but I've been so busy with school, only 3 weeks until the holidays! YAY I'm finally 14! This is a chapter especially for you smutty Kandy lovers. Enjoy!_**

**His two loves; Kirsten and strawberries**

The sun crept threw the curtains basking Sandy and Kirsten in the morning sunlight. She had been awake for awhile already but by Sandy's slow, constant breathing she could tell that he was still fast asleep. She wished that they never had to move from this, that life could stop and stay stuck in this moment. His arm was draped around her hips, holding her secure with him and in turn she had entwined her fingers with his. Through her back, she could feel the steady beating of his heart, her lips curled up and smiled at the happiness she felt just lying there. She could stay there forever. His body stirred and he pulled her closer and rested his head on her shoulder whispering in her ear.

"Morning honey. How are you? …I love you."

She turned around to face him, their faces just centimetres away from one another's, and replied while staring deeply into his eyes.

"Better now you're here. I love you too. I wish we could stay like this forever but my parent's are going to have a fit when they find out you stayed the night. Actually, let me rephrase that, my Dad is going to have a fit when he finds out that you stayed the night. But right now I don't care. I'm with the man I love and no one is going to change that."

Touched by her speech, Sandy kept his mouth closed afraid to ruin the moment with another sarcastic comment. His mind flicked to last night when he met Kirsten's father for the first time. Okay, the first time he saw him he was in a tight embrace with his daughter and she was bawling her eyes out but couldn't he spare a little love for his daughter's boyfriend? But he didn't seem to be interested in his daughter's happiness or her life out of Newport, a thought that made Sandy shudder. His thoughts were interrupted by Kirsten's lips upon his as she probed his mouth open and passionately kissed him, thanking him for his arrival and Newport and being there for her.

"I can't wait for you to meet my Mom. She's going to love you. Just be careful, she's not to well right now because… of the… issue." Kirsten stammered out, embarrassed to admit that her mother was an alcoholic.

"What about your father. I mean he's already sort of met me. Will he like me?"

"Well he doesn't have a choice. I'm in love with you and there is nothing anyone can to do change that so they've just got to deal with it" She replied, hinting at a negative answer to the question Sandy posed. "And I can't wait for you to meet all my old friends, Taryn, Michelle, Katherine… and… Jimmy. I haven't seen him for ages I'm sure he'll be surprised to see me… and you too! I can't wait to show you off to everyone!"

Sandy stood there in shock as he realised what an effect Newport had on people. Seven days had gone by and Kirsten was already reverting to the spoilt self she was before arriving at Berkeley, before she met Sandy. He just hoped that even though she had changed, her feelings for Sandy hadn't changed either.

* * *

"Hi Mom, look who's come." Kirsten ushered Sandy towards the frail figure lying on the bed. _I'm so lucky to have someone like him in my life. Not many people are as lucky as me._ She thought to herself as Sandy introduced himself to her mother with such politeness that you would think that he was brought up in a community just like Newport, the only giveaway was his scruffy attire which Kirsten found so adorable on him. Within moments, conversation had sparked between both Sandy and her mother (Emily) and Kirsten watched, glad to see her mother's acceptance of Sandy. Not that she had doubted that she wouldn't like him. Kirsten knew that her mother would love Sandy, from the things Kirsten had said about him over the last week and the emotional state of her showed Emily that she really loved him. Much more than she loved Jimmy. She just wished that her husband would learn to accept him into his life because he was definitely going to be a part of Kirsten's life for a long, long time.

* * *

An hour later after Kirsten had dragged Sandy away from her mother and had a quick chat with her mother about how amazing Sandy was, they had entered the Nichol kitchen ready to face her father, the next obstacle in their relationship. Luckily he hadn't come out of his office yet and they had the kitchen to themselves. Grabbing the bowl of strawberries sitting on the bench, they began to feed them to each other, sneaking in kisses when they were sure no one would interrupt them. Finding a tablecloth he wrapped it around Kirsten's eyes and he fed her the strawberries already between his teeth and they laughed and mucked around finding interesting ways to feed each other the sweet strawberries. Kirsten was biting a strawberry out of Sandy's mouth when her father walked into the room, shocked and appalled at the actions of his daughter. First he spent the night and now they were making out in his kitchen!

"What are you still doing here?" He demanded to an embarrassed Sandy, who had been hoping to make a good impression but now that that was down the drain he realised he had nothing to loose.

"Good morning to you too Sir. I'm just sharing this delicious bowl of strawberries with your gorgeous daughter." He shot a smile at Kirsten who, as well, was red with embarrassment from being caught earlier and from holding in a barrel of laughter from the reaction of her father. Of course he wasn't a man of many words but he never had expected such a cunning remark from a man he had never spoken to before in his life. _Well, if he thinks he can be smart, I'll show him smart._ Caleb thought to himself before exiting the room leaving Kirsten and Sandy to finish what they were up to before he interrupted them.

"Do you have anymore of these strawberries?" Sandy asked with a grin.

_**Yep, I managed to incorporate the strawberries! Please read and review, hopefully it is up to standard!**_


	7. He didn't know

**_Okay, firstly I am SO sorry about not updating sooner, this chapter is long overdue! Thanks for all the reviews, I'm not going to be able to post much in the next 5 weeks, but I will be writing then, I just wont have access to the internet very often, if ever! I don't like this one as much as my newer fanfic but I'll stop rambling now and start the chapter!_**

**

* * *

He didn't know.**

For the past two days, Sandy had endured the strained environment between him and Kirsten's father and he could no longer take it. There conversations had been fuelled by their obvious hate for one another but for Kirsten's sake he had made an effort, Kirsten only wished that her father would too. Caleb saw how happy he made her daughter, how much she wanted to accept him, but he knew once he did that, his ego would increase even more. By challenging him so much by the way of his manner with him and the way that Sandy rose the occasion, proved to Caleb that he was right for his daughter, not just right but _perfect_. So he accepted Sandy in his own unique way, by appearing to hate him. Harsh it may seem but this was Caleb Nichol, he didn't become a man by people being nice to him. He saw himself in Sandy, from a poor background with exceptional talent. The only difference was that he had a heart, and Caleb wanted to make sure that he would share it with Kirsten. If he really loved her, they would stay together, be brought closer, by Caleb's apparent hatred of Sandy.

Kirsten felt bad for putting Sandy through all the rude behaviour of her father but she knew that she wanted Sandy to be a part of her life and she couldn't lead two separate lives, not in the long run at least. Today she was going to make it up to Sandy though. She was going to make him a part of her life; she was going to introduce him to her friends, the people who in 20 years will be running this town.

* * *

"Sandy, come on, let's go out for a change!" She called out to Sandy from the hallway.

Following her voice, he ran out towards her and grabbed her hand in his.

"Sure honey. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I was thinking that if it was okay with you, you could meet some of my friends?" She glanced up at him questioningly with an adorable puppy dog look in her eyes.

"Of course, I'd love to meet them." He bent down and whispered in her ear. "As much as I love your father, I think that we need some time apart. I'm just not getting the same vibe back" He joked, a hint of sarcasm present in his comment.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Sandy had been dragged down to the Crab Shack only to be faced with 5 girls, the spitting image of Kirsten but more fake. He tried to ignore the glares coming from all of them as he sat down, holding Kirsten's hand for security; it was now his time to need her. After settling down in his seat he glanced up to still see all five of the to-be Newpsies still glaring in shock at what Kirsten was dating.

"Hi Taryn, Becky, Hanna, Holly and Sophie! Everyone, this is Sandy!" She said beaming to this dismay of her friends.

For the whole meal, Sandy got the once, twice and thrice over, as all five of Kirsten's 'friends' made their disapproval very well known. Even though they were sitting right in front of him, they had a constant whisper of gossip flowing between them and he could catch snippets like "_Does he know about Jimmy. What would happen if they met? Imagine the look on poor Jimmy's face, he would be distraught!" _Just after Kirsten had finished her meal, she was pulled off to the bathroom by Taryn who quickly bombarded Kirsten.

"Ew! Is this some kind of sick joke Kirsten? I mean, he's from _the Bronx_. What is the lead deb of our cotillion doing with some stray from _the Bronx_?"

"What's so wrong with the Bronx, why are you saying it like that? What's gotten into you lately? You're turning into you mother and all the other Newpsies"

"He's not the same as you Kirsten, of all people I thought you would have realised that, being Caleb Nichol's daughter and all. I would have thought that you would understand, our people don't mix with their people. It just doesn't make sense!"

"No, what doesn't make sense is why suddenly I have to date people whose parents earn the same amount of money as mine. Right now, what makes sense is for Sandy, the man I love, and me to leave."

Taryn's mouth dropped as Kirsten said that. 'She loved him?' She thought to herself. She had been brought up with Kirsten and for all her life, Kirsten never had been in love. Kirsten had thought that she might have been in love with Jimmy but was too hesitant to ever actually say 'I love you'. Taryn then knew that no matter what she said, she would never change her friends mind about Sandy now, not when she loved him. Kirsten may have completely opposite principles compared to her father but one thing they shared in common was their stubbornness, once her mind was set on something that was it, there was no changing her mind.

"Fine, go then. Sorry about what I said, maybe later when he's settled in more could we meet again. Next time I'll try and not act like the world's biggest bitch."

"Sure, I've missed you so much! I just wanted him to feel like he's a part of my life but I suppose the girls need time to adjust, as if Holly would, she's worse then you! I'll see you soon though?"

"Yea sure Kirsten, I promise I'll be nice, maybe even accepting!"

* * *

"Sorry for putting you through that, no one should have to go through the Newpsies, they are unbelievable! I leave for a couple of years and they have turned into their parents, never let that happen to me Sandy."

"Trust me, I would never let you get like that, they were scary and I'm not usually scared by plastic women! But that was ranked up there with that movie we saw last month, the vampire one?"

"Oh yea? The one where you spent the whole time hiding behind me when I'm meant to be the one that is scared?" Kirsten playfully mocked, loving it how Sandy just let her.

"I did not hide behind you. I just wanted to be close to you, I love you so much." He said pulling her closer, holding on tight as they wandered down the pier.

There it was again, her heart melting. _How could he be so damn perfect? _She thought to herself. All the little things he did; facing her father, facing the Newpsies, coming to Newport in the first place… The list went on.

"I love you too… so much Sandy."

They paused for a while, sitting down on a bench and watching the waves leap upon the beach and the millions of surfers bobbing up and down with the swell. She leant her head upon his shoulder has he fingered a curl as the other one rubbed up and down her side to keep her warm against the chill of the breeze. He gently rocked her back and forth to their own rhythm as they basked in the company of one another, sharing such a sentimental moment; the silence between them was comfortable, no words were needed, their relationship much deeper than that.

Their silence was broken as Sandy enquired in a whisper.

"Kirsten, who's Jimmy?"

**_

* * *

Okay there is your own mini cliffhanger… next time we see how Kirsten reacts. What is she going to say… Find out in the next instalment of The Young, Tough Times._**

_**Wow that was way cheesy! Please review!**_


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